We were privileged at MSA to be profiled about our outstanding work in the digital transformation of the financial services industry. Ultimately I view digital as a facilitator of not only a better customer experience but a smarter one for our people at work.

Today you paid an awesome compliment to a random shopkeeper who served you. She really needed it. She was depressed and suffering in silence – possibly even suicidal. Unbeknown to you, it was something you said in your compliment that really resonated with her. Your compliment inspired her to seek help or enroll in that course or call a family member or friend or apologise to their partner or give up drugs or a toxic relationship . Whatever it is, you helped her and all you did was pay a genuine compliment that made her feel good and valued as a human. You made her feel like she mattered. She went on to become a photographer or a dental nurse or a mother. She read more books, took better care of herself, started a business, employed people, had kids of her own and her effect on the world cascaded outward and touched many lives.

We are all in the business of selling ourselves. What sells is not just the product or service, it is the person standing behind it. People connect with you first. And if they like you they will use every justification to do business with you.

Most of us in the corporate world spend a lot of time in front of a computer or in meetings, sitting, analyzing and strategizing; i.e. living in our head. But the source of creativity, passion and the ability to connect with people by displaying empathy does not come from the head. It comes from the body. Whether you are a mortgage broker, a settlement paralegal or a café barista you must get of your head to make a connection with your customers and IMPORTANTLY with your family. So how do you get out of your head and into your body? Firstly….